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Sen. Ben Cardin Will Not Seek Re-Election After Serving Marylanders Since 1968

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin announced Monday he will not seek reelection but will finish his current term, which ends in two years.

Cardin has represented Marylanders for 56 years, first in the House of Delegates and then on the federal level in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“It’s been the honor of my life to represent the people of Maryland,” he said in a five-and-a-half-minute video with his wife, Myrna.

“I love Maryland. I love the people of Maryland and I love everything about our state from the beaches to the mountains, the cities and neighborhoods in between, and the rich history of the iconic Chesapeake Bay,” he said in a news release announcing his decision.

“For me, the essential ingredients of effective public service are integrity and civility. I have always tried to listen to people, understand their problems and then work with them to find a solution. I am an optimist but also a realist. I was taught that it’s okay to compromise – don’t ever compromise your principles – but find a path to get things done,” he said.

“I am proud of all I have done for Maryland. I have given my heart and soul to our great state, and I thank Marylanders for trusting me as your representative for all these years.”

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin issued a statement, calling Cardin’s years in office “integrity-filled public service.”

He added, “Cardin has assembled a remarkable record of advancing the needs and priorities of Maryland. I salute him and have congratulated him on a truly amazing and inspiring career devoted to service of our people and the old-fashioned public values of honesty and decency.”

I want to thank him, his beloved wife Myrna and their whole family for their outstanding and continuing contributions to our state.”

Fellow Senator Chris Van Hollen thanked Cardin for his “extraordinary public service to Maryland and our country.” In a statement, he noted, “Senator Cardin is driven by an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of Marylanders, advancing social justice, protecting our environment, and promoting human rights at home and abroad.”

Van Hollen praised Cardin for his work in Maryland and throughout the world. “Senator Cardin led the charge to hold Russia accountable for the death of Sergei Magnitsky, passing into law the Global Magnitsky Act, which has had broad and lasting implications on our efforts to protect human rights worldwide. As Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, he has continued the fight against global corruption and worked to promote international good governance.”

Cardin was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1968 while he was still in law school at the University of Maryland. He served as Maryland Ways and Means Chair and then as speaker from 1979-1986.

From 1987-2006, he represented Maryland’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and served for 17 years on the House Ways & Means Committee. Cardin was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 and is in his third term.

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